“Wu Ma,” Chu Lian forced herself to stay calm and called out, “Hand me your phone, let’s pay the property fees.”
At this, Chu Lian’s mother widened her eyes, her tone sharp:
“Why should I?!”
For a few seconds, the atmosphere stiffened.
Everyone else was puzzled—why did it seem like Chu Lian’s “housekeeper” was being disrespectful to her employer?
Chu Lian shot a glare at her mother, walked over, and yanked the phone from her pocket. Gritting her teeth, she said:
“When I find my phone later, I’ll return the money to you.”
Chu Lian’s mother, keeping her words low so the others wouldn’t hear, reluctantly said, wincing:
“Make sure you remember to pay me back.”
“Mm.”
Anyway, Shu Lingchen could make up the difference later.
Holding the phone, Chu Lian turned to the property staff:
“Here, scan this code.”
“Okay.”
The female staff member opened the payment code and said:
“The total is 48,000 yuan.”
“Wait a moment!”
Chu Lian instinctively covered her phone camera, shocked:
“Forty-eight thousand? Why is it so expensive?!”
“It’s like this,” the staff member explained, slightly puzzled. “F1701’s monthly property fee is 4,000. Forty-eight thousand is the annual fee, as Yu Jing Yuan collects fees yearly.”
Chu Lian felt a chill down her spine, regretting her impulsive words. She hurriedly clarified:
“I-I know, of course I know!”
“Good, then you can proceed to scan the code.”
The staff member smiled again, extending the QR code once more.
At that moment, Chu Lian’s mother whispered:
“My account doesn’t have that much!”
She didn’t even have to say it.
Chu Lian felt a rush of frustration—but then an idea sparked, and her eyes lit up. She told the staff:
“My housekeeper’s balance isn’t enough, so I’ll first pay the overdue monthly fee. Once I find my phone, I’ll settle the rest immediately. This way, it won’t delay your work, right?”
The staff hesitated.
Chu Lian smiled inwardly, proud of her quick thinking and clever phrasing.
Just as she was about to relax…
“Chu Lian, your phone is here—”
Everyone turned.
Shu Shu was holding a white phone—Chu Lian’s phone.
“Sorry, your phone was under the sofa, I didn’t notice before,” Shu Shu said apologetically, handing it over to the stunned Chu Lian.
“…”
Chu Lian looked at her own phone in Shu Shu’s hand. She couldn’t reach out to take it.
Forty-eight thousand yuan—she couldn’t cover that.
And she had just told everyone her reason for not paying in full was that she couldn’t find her phone.
Now the phone had appeared.
If she couldn’t pay, it would be humiliating.
And she couldn’t contact Shu Lingchen in front of everyone.
“What’s wrong, Chu Lian?” Shu Shu tilted her head, curious. “Are you having difficulties?”
Shu Shu had previously deposited over 600,000 yuan into that card.
Chu Lian and her mother had lived in the house for free all these years. Not paying a single cent.
When they tried to occupy the house, they hadn’t considered that living in a luxury building came with “rules.”
“Can you even speak? What difficulty could Chu Lian have!” Zhang Lu stepped forward, glaring at Shu Shu:
“Her monthly living expenses are over a hundred thousand! Five thousand for property fees is nothing!”
Chu Lian’s face paled slightly at Zhang Lu’s boast.
The others, ordinary middle school students whose allowances were in the hundreds, were shocked—living expenses over ten thousand a month?
Chu Lian truly was a proper heiress!
“Oh~ I see. Forgive me for not seeing the big picture,” Shu Shu said, raising her eyebrows. Then she handed the phone over:
“So, Chu Lian?”
Chu Lian had no choice but to take it.
The QR code for payment was right in front of her.
She knew once she scanned it, the screen would display “Insufficient Balance.”
Her lips tightened, forcing a relaxed expression, pretending to hesitate:
“I…I just remembered, I bought so many new bags yesterday, I’ve spent almost all of this month’s allowance…”
“Ah, Chu Lian, you bought more bags?” Zhang Lu waved her hand. “No problem! Now that you’ve found your phone, just call your uncle and have him top it up!”
Chu Lian gripped the phone, her fingers white, nearly losing composure.
For the first time, she hated Zhang Lu’s incessant chatter—she wanted to sew her mouth shut!
Gritting her teeth, Chu Lian said:
“At this hour, my father is busy with business, my mother is on vacation abroad. With the time difference, she can’t see her phone.”
Her mother quickly nodded along:
“Yes, yes, sir and madam are busy, very busy.”
The property staff suggested:
“Could you contact your parents’ assistant or someone similar?”
Even with a monthly allowance over ten thousand, a simple five-thousand transfer shouldn’t be hard, right?
Chu Lian, anxious, tucked her hair behind her ear and said:
“My father’s secretary is busy too! I don’t want to disturb them, so I’ll pay the single month now and settle the rest later.”
Then, she frowned slightly, asking firmly:
“Why? I’m paying the overdue fee and I live here. Do you not trust me? Is this how Yu Jing Yuan treats its owners?”
The visiting classmates spoke up in solidarity:
“Exactly! Chu Lian said so already. How can you delay her father’s business? Do you want complaints filed?”
The word “complaint” intimidated the staff. To avoid conflict, they backed down:
“No, no, you misunderstand. In that case, pay the single month first…”
Shu Shu watched the whole scene, secretly impressed with Chu Lian’s storytelling skills—it sounded so convincing.
Chu Lian successfully scanned and entered 4,000.
Just as she was about to input the password…
“1701’s owner is here—”
A deep, authoritative male voice accompanied the elevator ding, drawing everyone’s attention.
A middle-aged man in a sharp suit, exuding elite energy, walked in, followed by four or five men in work uniforms with white gloves, appearing to be a moving crew.
“I am the owner of 1701. I’ll pay the property fees.”
Unlike Chu Lian’s hesitant attempts, the man immediately scanned the property staff’s code.
In less than thirty seconds, 48,000 yuan was transferred to the property account.
Everyone was stunned.
“Who is this?”
“He said he’s the owner of 1701?!”
At first, they assumed he was part of the Chu family.
Chu Lian, shocked, asked:
“…Who are you?”
The middle-aged man walked in, facing Chu Lian and her mother, his tone serious:
“I am the owner of 1701. You two are illegally occupying my property. Leave immediately, or I will file a lawsuit and claim compensation
to protect my rights as the owner!”